The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1887-09-10
LincoIn's Famous Gettysburg Speech.

which President Lincoln was an actor
there is not one, perhaps, where single
incident gave rise 90 a food Of misrepre-
sentation so groundleSs and so gross as
his justly celebrated Gettysburg speech.
Since his death there has been az! enUr-
nous eXpenditu. G, not to say a very great
waste, of literary talent on that perform
auco, as there has been on about every
thing else he did, or was supposed to
have dnae, from his boyhood until the
moment of his assassination. That re-
porters, critics, chrunclers, eulogists,
flat .erers and biographers have not only
I failed to give a true account of that
famous speech, but they have subjected
MIR. Lincoln's memory to hurtful misrep-
resentation. it is the purpose of this paper
to show.
a day or two before the dedication of
the National Cemetery at Gettysburg
Mr.. Lincoln told me that he would be
expected to make a speech on the occa-
sion; that he was extremely busy, with
no time for preparation, and that he
greatly feared he would not be able to
acquit himself 18th credit, much less to
fill the measure of public expectation.
From his hat Che usual receptacle of his
private noes and memoranda) he drew a
page Of tooiscap, closely written, which
he read to me, fist remarking that it
was memorandum OF what he intended
to say. 1t proved to be in substance and,
think, in hacc verbl, what was printed
as his Gettysburg speech. After its de-
livery he expressed deep regret that be
had not prepared it with greater care.
| He said to me on the stand, Immediately
after concluding the speech: 'Lamon,
that speech won't scour. 1t is a fiat fail
ure apd the people are disappointed"
| He seemed more than ordinarily con-
cerned about what the people would
think of it. l was deeply impressed by
| his frank and legretful coudem nation of
the effort, and especially by his manner
of expressing that regret; and my ow
impression was deepened by the fact that
the orator of the day, Mr.. Everett, and
| Mr.. Seward both conceded with Mr.
Lincoln in his unfavolable view of its
merits.
Tie occasion was solemn, impressive
and grandly historic. The people stood
| spell-bound. it is true. The vast throng
was hushed and aSed into profound
silence while Mr.. Lincoln lead his brief
address, but it seemed that this silence
and attention to his words arose more
from the solemnity of the ceremonies
and the awful scenes which gave occa.
| sion to them than from anything the
| President said. On the platform from
which Mr.. Lincoln made his address,
and only moment after its conclusion,
Mr.. Seward turned to Mr.. Everett and
asked him what he thought of the Presi-
dents speech. Mr.. Everett replied: ut
was not what l expected from him.
am disappointed.
In his turn Mr.. Everett asked; what
do you think of it, Mr.. Seward ?" The
| response was: "IIe has made a failure,
and am sorry for It. His speech is not
equal to him." Mr. Seward then turned
to me and asked: "Nlr Marshall, what
do you think of it?" | answered. Il
am sorry to say it does not impress me
| as one OF his great speeches."
In the face of these facts il he's been
repeatedly published that this speech
was received with great elact by the au
dience; that amid the tears, sobs and
cheers it produce in the excited throng
the orator of the day, Mr.. Everett, turned
impulsively to Mr.. Lincoln. grasped his
hand and exclaimed: 81 congratulate you
on Jour success adding, in transport
OF heated enthusiasm, Sab! Mr.. Presi-
dent, how gladly would 1 give all my
hundred pages to be the author of you"
twenty lines.'' All this unworthy gush,
it is needless to say, is purely apocryphal,
Nothing of the kind occurred. 1t is an
afterthought-mere rhetorical bomba
gotten up to serve the purpose of base
less adularioD. 1t is a SANDER on Mr..
Everett, an INJUSTICE to Mr.. Liacoln and
a falsifcatlou of history. Mr.. Everett
could not have used the words attributed
to him, in the face of his openly express
ed condemnation of Mr.. Lincolu's speech,
without subjecting himself to the just
charge of being totdy aud 4 hypocrir
and he was "either the one nor the other.
AS a matter o. fact Mr.. Lincoln's grea
Gettysburg speech fell on the vast au-
dience like wet blanket. At that time
his reputation was coEfessedly Ga the
wane. The politicians of the country
those of his own party, together with
| large party of the part of the press-were
casting about for an available candidate
| to be his successor, while great major
| ity of the people were for him. stale it
| as fact, and without fear of contradi
| ton, that this famous Gettysburg speech
was not received or commented upon
with anything like hearty favor by the
people, the politicians, or the press of the
United States, until after the death of its
author. Its marvellous perfection, its in
| trinsic excellence, as a masGelp piece of
| English composition, seem to have es-
| capped the scrutiny of tue most scholarly
critics aud the wisest heads of that day
| o this side OF the Atlantic. The discovery
we regretfully own, vas made by distin-
guished writers on the other side. The
| London Spectator, the Saiarddy ReCiCT,
the Eiinburgh Rerieto and other Euro
pean jou! nails were the first to discover,
or, at least, to proclaim, the classical
merits of the Gettysburg speech. 1t was
then that we began to realize that it was
indeed masterpiece, and it then dawned
| upon many minds that we had entertained
all angel uuawa.es who bad left us unap-
preciated.
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